Club Chai, one of the Bay Area’s most vital and far-reaching art and dance music collectives, is celebrating its three-year anniversary at Public Works in San Francisco on Friday, March 1, 2019, in partnership with Red Bull Music.

Club Chai began in Oakland as a club series in January 2016, and has since grown into a multifaceted, audiovisual curatorial project with its own record label and radio show. When it comes to the music, Club Chai specializes in uniting diverse communities to create new hybrids of club music and non-Western sounds.

The upcoming event at Public Works will feature live appearances from Venus X, SHYBOI, Thoom, Quest?onmarc, FELA KUTCHii, Qing Qi, B-Side Brujas, and TR4VI3ZA, as well as Club Chai co-founders 8ULENTINA (with Davia Spain) and FOOZOOL.

In addition to the live show, Red Bull Music has just released a short documentary film called “Momentum: Oakland’s Creative Renaissance.” The film offers insight into Oakland’s culturally diverse DIY scene from the perspectives of Club Chai co-founders Lara Sarkissian (a.k.a. FOOZOOL) and Esra Canoğullari (8ULENTINA), highlighting the creative missions of local Club Chai-affiliated artists including SIRI and Russell E.L. Butler.

This essential eight-minute documentary is the latest step in Club Chai’s ongoing mission to boost diasporic narratives by highlighting women, queer, and transgender artists. While Club Chai’s efforts have struck a chord with communities around the world, the project remains committed to its Bay Area roots. As the film states, “Oakland’s DIY music scene has continued to thrive in the face of gentrification and other factors that disproportionately affect people of color. The arts community offers a platform and space for its creatives.”

Help support Club Chai’s vision by watching the film, grabbing tickets to the anniversary show, and checking out some of the music produced and curated by its talented roster of artists and affiliates.

Red Bull Music Presents: Club Chai
Venus X, SHYBOI, Thoom, Quest?onmarc, 8ULENTINA, FOOZOOL, FELA KUTCHii, Qing Qi, B-Side Brujas, TR4VI3ZA
Public Works
March 1, 2019
9pm, $10 (21+)